Pet Love for Valentine Day

“Who loves you the most?” As Valentine Day nears, that question becomes uppermost for countless people. For me and many others, the answer is simple – the family pet, of course. Whether it is a cat, dog or other furry friend, they don’t care what you look like or how much money you have to spend on this “day of love.” They don’t even mind if you happen to forget it altogether and have to have a belated Valentine Day. An extra hug or cuddle is all that is needed.

If you want to give more for your pet’s kind of selfless devotion, there are many possibilities. Ex-tra-special treats are surely a must for your canine companions on Valentine Day. The popular website www.rover.com offers five homemade recipes for special and safe treats from “red velvet cup cakes” [better named “pup cakes”] made from yogurt, eggs, raw beets for color and oatmeal to “Fro-yo Cakes” combining Greek yogurt, peanut butter and honey, and a special beef bouillon cookie with beef bouillon [of course], egg yolk and cornmeal. It also recommends you put a special pink icing made from honey and corn starch on store bought dog bone biscuits. Go to their website for complete recipes and ingredients.

For your feline pets, the Humane Society of Dayton, Ohio suggests homemade “Tuna Cat Treats” im-pressed with a heart design stencil. Using canned tuna, you can combine other standard ingredients such as flour, oat flour, eggs, and olive oil. The Valentine Day special ingredient is a pinch of catnip before forming into cookies and baking.

Not all human treats are suitable for our beloved pets, however. Some things to avoid are anything with corn syrup and/or sugar. Our pets are just as subject to diabetes as we humans are and I recently lost my fifteen year old Manchester Terrier to this dreadful disease, so do not indulge their sweet tooth. Also avoid chocolate, alcohol, milk, macadamia nuts and raisins.

If you are not a cook, there are several places in Atlanta to get special Valentine Day pet treats. Check out the offerings at Inman Park Pet Works, Dog Days Buckhead and the delightful Taj Ma-Hound Bakery in Oakhurst [Decatur, Ga.]. You can also order online from the holiday treats selection at Big Daddy Biscuits. No matter what you do for “the one who loves you best” on Valentine Day, a few extra hugs and cuddles is all it really takes to make a special day for your furry friend or friends.

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